Stefano Manzi extended his lead in the FIM Supersport World Championship with a sensational victory after a race-long battle with rival Can Öncü in Race 1 at Circuit de Nevers, Magny-Cours on Saturday as the Yamaha R9 locked out the first three podium positions for the first time.
After Superpole saw Öncü (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Racing), Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) and Lucas Mahias (GMT-94 Yamaha) secure an all-R9 front row, hopes were high for the all-blue podium as the sun shone at Magny-Cours on Saturday.
Öncü bolted off the line to lead on the opening lap, but the championship leader was keen not to let the strong start from his rival hold him back. The duo became engaged in a battle that would last throughout the race, passing one another for the lead lap-by-lap.
A strong start from Mahias saw the home hero in podium potential from the off, but he faced a strong challenge from Alberto Surra, who makes his WorldSSP debut with Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Racing this weekend in place of the injured Aldi Mahendra.
The chasing duo held on to Manzi and Öncü for the first half of the race, before dropping off their tail as the race came to its conclusion but the battle was never to end.
Out front, Manzi and Öncü were tussling hard and having almost touched on several occasions, the atmosphere was palpable in the final laps. A huge out-of-the-seat moment for Manzi while leading out of the hairpin left Öncü almost with nowhere to go, but the Turkish star was able to avoid his rival and gained a 0.6 second lap onto the final lap. And while it looked like it might have been over, Manzi refused to give up and put in a stunning final lap to reel in Öncü and make the move to take his eighth win of the year. Öncü crossed the line 0.244 seconds behind.
Mahias had broken Surra for a home podium, but touching the green on the last lap he then had to drop one position promoting the rookie onto the rostrum in his first ever WorldSSP race.
Yuki Okamoto crossed the line 17th for Pata Yamaha Ten Kate, while Roberto Garcia retired after seven laps.
Manzi now leads the championship standings by 64 points ahead of Öncü. Race 2 gets underway at 14:00 local time on Sunday.
Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) – 1st
“I have been quick all weekend, but in the race it was impossible to drop Can! He was always there and would pass me at the end of the straight so it turned into a race-long battle which was really nice. With two laps to go, I had a big moment in the hairpin and almost crashed. The gap was almost one second going into the last lap, and for a moment I thought maybe I should settle for second as I have a big gap in the championship, but then I decided ‘No, I do not want to finish P2 today, a win is better!”
Posted on September 6, 2025 by Michael Le Pard
